The Games We Play
by NoteEmmy
Summary: Kaiba and Atem play lots of games with each other. Seto is learning that sometimes the worst moves are the easiest to make. M\M
1. We Play

Blue eyes stared from across the board though crimson were not intent on his own. Atem was weighing his options carefully- too carefully, in fact, for Kaiba's tastes. "Hurry up." The CEO growled lightly, lacing his fingers together, eyes narrowing.

The other gamer didn't lift his eyes to Kaiba's, instead still considering his options on the board. "It's not a race, Kaiba."

Really, the longer they drew this up, the more sales went up, the more people had time to tune in, the more money was made. Kaiba had nothing to lose here except his patience, it seemed. Finally, slender fingers moved across the board to wrap across a white chess piece and move it into just the right spot. He captured one of Seto's pieces with practiced, quiet grace. His head finally inclined upwards, eyes searching the brunet's as a light smirk appeared on his lips. "Check."

Not mate, not yet; in more ways than one. The loss seemed to barely touch the taller man. He considered it briefly, taking up a little of his own time before moving his King successfully out of check. The next few turns were dedicated to _keeping_ it out of check. This was the way the game had been going on for quite some time, possibly hours, but both gamers had by now lost track. The only thing both of them were interested in was the game beneath their fingertips, the strategy of the other player, and their opponent. The game was full of stolen glances and simmering smirks from both players. Neither would give up, neither would concede; it was a beautiful tribute.

Continually Atem put him back in check, though Kaiba had found himself on the opposite side of that a good few times as well. Their strategies couldn't be any different. Kaiba led a vicious assault with his Queen, Atem played a careful defense while setting up traps. The room and the crowd around them had all but died out; the only thing that existed in their world was each other and the game. That's the way it always was.

Eventually, though, and almost inevitably, Atem moved his Knight into just the right position. "Check." He sounded off again, more confidently than any of his previous proclamations of this word.

Kaiba moved out.

Atem moved back in. "Check." His eyes didn't even leave Seto's form as he had moved his chess piece once more.

Maybe Kaiba had thought he'd seen another opportunity to keep the game going. It wasn't like him to prolong defeat when it was completely obvious. And yet he moved again. It nearly took Atem by surprise, too.

"Check-"

"Mate." Kaiba finished for him after the third time, scowling deeply, finally having come to his senses. There was no reason to keep this game going. He had lost. Both players stood and stared each other down for a few quick seconds. The stare was telling.

The crowd's applause finally faded in around them and they remembered where they were. Atem extended his hand forward. "Good game."

Kaiba snuffed the gesture completely, turning on his heel. "Don't patronize me." He gruffed before striding away, out of Atem's line of vision, and away from the crowd, the people, the microphones and the questions.

So he'd left the King of Games out there with him, but this wasn't the first time he'd done that. It wouldn't be the last. Atem graciously accepted questions, signed autographs, and posed for pictures for a half hour longer than he really wanted to. He'd been told a few times that he couldn't just shrug off his fans. He had an image to worry about, and god helped him if he was responsible for a plummet of Kaiba Corporation sales because he displeased a few people. Finally though the crowd dispersed enough for him to wave and saunter off as well.

The short gamer could have made the decision to leave the stadium all together. There was no real reason for him to be there anymore. But he found himself walking down the empty halls in the back. A tell-tale, and completely gaudy, star stuck out on one of the doors. Meant for stars. Celebrities. Important people. He chuckled softly with a shake of head as his hand reached for the handle and pushed the door open slightly.

In the blink of an eye he was grabbed inside, the door slammed shut, the lock clicked. A body pressed against his, lips and teeth finding purchase in the side of his neck. His breath hitched as his hand reached up to clasp tightly in the front of a black turtleneck shirt. Teeth nipped harshly at the point of his pulse, tongue working against the skin to bring the beginnings of a bruise to the surface of Atem's skin. The shorter grabbed closer, breathing becoming quicker.

"So desperate for me to mark you that you conveniently forgot to wear your collar? Or not feeling like you needed to dress so much like a masochist for our match today?" Kaiba's voice rumbled as he looked down at his rival.

Atem tried to pull himself together, grinning up at the CEO. "Perhaps I baited you into it, knowing you couldn't resist. You sure spent enough time staring at me the entire match. And look where we are." He taunted.

Kaiba growled, shoving him up against the door harder. "Shut up."

"You first."

Lips met for the first time in quite a few long days. It wasn't common that they found time for each other. Kaiba didn't participate in as many tournaments anymore, having to focus much of his time on Kaiba Corporation. Atem, on the other hand, had just as much of a reputation to uphold on his own merits. The King of Games was quite a trophy name to have earned and a much harder one to keep. But his opponents never held as much weight with him as Kaiba had, as Kaiba always would. The crimson-eyed man was very glad for the times that Kaiba could pull himself from his work to play this game with him.

"Come home with me tonight." Atem husked out, just shy of a moan, as Kaiba's hands found his skin.

Seto just rolled his eyes, pulling loose one of Atem's belts as his tongue found a nipple.

The silence was telling. His breath hitched, his body grasping for closer warmth as he struggled to stay coherent. Seto always knew just the right way to unwind him. "Please..." Sometimes asking appealed to the taller, whether because it was humiliating for Atem to do at times, or because simply commanding the man to do anything just never worked, Atem couldn't say.

Long fingers moved along those very pleasing hipbones. "I barely have enough time for this." He said as he pressed a kiss to Atem's chest. "Interrupt me again and I'll leave right now." No, he probably wouldn't. This already had gone too far for him to stop. But could his rival take the chance?

"I..." The word drew off into a moan as Seto finally had his pants on the ground and touched him. His hips rolled forward as his head hit back against the door.

Seto smirked, unable to help himself. "What was that?"

Atem's arm wrapped around Seto's neck, pulling him up and closer. "I miss you." He managed to say in Seto's slight confusion before drawing in for another kiss.

There was a slight heavy feeling all of a sudden in Kaiba's chest. One of those feelings that he damned for existing and thought didn't reside within him anymore. _Guilt_. And guilt over something like that. Not even Atem's begging way of asking for it had helped in the end. He still felt guilty. Though the man found he didn't have enough time to weigh his options of leaving or going, thankfully, due to Atem's neediness. The other duelist's hips had rolled against his own and he growled to bite back a moan of his own.

No more talking, Kaiba decided then. They were too far into this game to stop, and if Atem talked anymore about going home or whatever else he wanted to whine about now, Seto might really end up feeling bad. That was unacceptable. Seemingly Atem went with it as Kaiba's fingers had found their way inside him, losing all sense of coherency all at once. All he knew was the heat close to him and the pleasure surging through his body. It wasn't long after that that Kaiba had the shorter pressed tightly into the couch of the room, covering his body again, ramming inside of him.

Marks glistened new on Atem's skin, on his neck, over his shoulders, and one on his hip. But to the Game King's credit, Kaiba's skin wasn't completely untouched either. They moved together, sweat forming, Seto's lips covering Atem's to try and keep the illusion that he was trying to keep the other man quiet. It was really to hide his own moans as he completely lost himself inside Atem's movements and body.

When it was over their positions had switched somehow, Atem finding himself panting lightly as he laid atop Seto's body. The CEO's arm was very loosely draped over Atem's body. Crimson eyes looked upwards, finding blue hidden beneath a sheet of damp brunet bangs. What was Seto thinking about? He frowned to himself before slowly leaning up and then standing on shaky legs.

Kaiba looked confused. Atem usually indulged in the quiet moments as much as he could. Why was he moving so suddenly? "What are you doing?" His clothes were found as he disappeared into the bathroom. It was another few minutes before he reappeared, fixing his belt just so. Kaiba's eyebrow rose. "...Atem?"

Said man flashed Kaiba a soft smirk before he moved towards the door. "I'm going home. I said I was going home after this."

"No, you asked me to come home with you."

"You didn't accept my invite and aren't going to so why should I stick around?"

Oddly enough, Atem's tone wasn't touched with any bit of hurt. Just complacency and an eerie calmness that always had Seto questioning just what the hell was going through that mind. The CEO straightened himself up before striding quickly across the room and placing a hand on the halfway open door and shutting it. Atem was once again thrust up against the door.

"Can't go home with me but you can find time for another round?" It was a weak question, and now Seto could see some of the telltale signs that he'd upset his lover.

His hands went to Atem's shoulders, gripping tightly. "What's the matter with you?"

"Absolutely nothing is wrong with _me_." Atem quickly shot back, glaring up at Seto.

That word, the inflection. It implied that the shorter was upset. It wasn't ever a really good thing to face Atem's ire. "I have to work."

"I know."

What the hell? Atem knew? What did that even mean? If he knew why was he so upset? Kaiba felt like he was missing something important. He didn't like that feeling. It irritated him. His grip on Atem's shoulders tightened.

"What's the matter with you?" Kaiba repeated, hoping maybe it would help some how.

Wine-colored eyes narrowed as his hand raised, pressing against Seto's chest. "How did you know I'd come back here?"

"I-"

"I could have just as easily gone home."

That was true, Kaiba realized. They hadn't had any previous plans to meet up after the game in some undisclosed room in the stadium to fuck. But he'd been banking on the fact that Atem would just... know. The man always seemed to know what the brunet was thinking. And for the most of the time, he complied.

Realization dawned on Seto's face. It was at that point that Atem took the moment to push Kaiba back as hard as he could. The CEO stumbled back a few steps but caught himself very quickly. His expression steeled over and darkened.

"Because you come to me when you want someone to dominate you, you think that makes me obligated to sate your loneliness?"

Shit.

Shit, he hadn't meant that. Not really. Those weren't the words he wanted to use. But Atem's smug expression when he'd realized and the shove had angered him. But he wouldn't back pedal. He didn't do that. Unluckily, he found he didn't have to as Atem opened the door-

"Goodbye, Kaiba."

And slammed it behind him. Seto's fist moved hard against the nearest wall.


	2. Can't Refuse

For two weeks Kaiba holed himself up in his office concentrating on work. However, that wasn't the only thing he concentrated on. Every blink of his eyes allowed him to relieve that moment where he'd fucked up and said something terrible. Why was that so awful? Why was it so surprising? He said mean, devastating things all the time. Did Atem think he was special? Did he think he was immune? His rival was supposed to be able to take the abuse. Kaiba was the way he was and there was no absolute way of ever changing it.

The hurt look that flashed across his lover's face when he'd said it, "_Because you come to me when you want someone to dominate you, you think that makes me obligated to sate your loneliness?_" His own words echoed in his head as his nails curled tighter into the palm of his hand. Maybe it really had been a step too far. Given the time frame that had gone on where Atem had seemed not to want to call him or be in contact with him in any way, shape or form... maybe it had been the _last_ step.

He wouldn't apologize.

Those crimson eyes widened, bangs seeming to lower over his eyes as his head tilted; the pain in those eyes had been so completely unmistakable. Just thinking about it had his chest weighed down with that feeling of guilt, with an odd sensation of pain. His teeth clenched together. He couldn't stop thinking about it. The more he thought about it the angrier he got, not only at the situation but at Atem for leaving it like this, and for himself because he didn't feel particularly like apologizing. That meant he was wrong.

Even if by now he knew he definitely had been.

His tired eyes glared at the clock, reading three in the morning. The numbers and letters of his work had long since started blurring together. Even when they weren't, he still wasn't coding properly. Atem on his mind, and with terrible accordance at that, just dwindled down his will. This was probably the breaking point. He clicked out of his user settings, putting the computer into sleep mode; leaving himself an escape.

He'd go to Atem's apartment. If the shorter duelist gave him shit or threw him out he would just come back to work and do the work he was supposed to do. Yes, this was the plan he'd formed by the time he'd gotten into his car and pulled out into the street. Not even the purr of the engine served to calm him. Not even pushing the car to its limits in the straight and empty streets served to give him any semblance of solace. He was tense and anxious and still slightly angry.

The car was pulled up to the curb and locked. Three in the morning left him little choice in the way of buzzing Atem's apartment, though he was sure the man was still awake. He didn't know why he was sure, but he was sure. Instead of being conventional, and when was Kaiba ever conventional anyway, he slipped up to the keypad of the complex and simply hacked his way into it. Still nothing, though. Even if it was a small task, it didn't make him feel any better.

And as he walked up each step towards Atem's own apartment, he felt heavier and worse than he had each second before. But Kaiba didn't run away from anything. Soon enough he found himself at Atem's door and gave it a swift and loud knock. A minute passed with no answer. He tried again with three knocks in succession, as loud as the last one. Another minute with nothing. He grimaced. Either Atem was asleep or ignoring him. Given the way the last conversation went, he'd have to pick the latter of those choices.

He balled up his fist and **pounded** on the door, five knocks this time, definitely louder than the last two tries. It would have been enough to wake the other gamer if he'd really been asleep. When no answer came he found himself very angry. "_Atem_!" He shouted. Kaiba Seto would not be ignored, especially not when... he was awkwardly trying to fix what he'd broken. But still no answer.

His lips parted for one last call, and this one was going to be very, very loud. He took a breath in.

"You're going to wake my neighbors if you continue up with this." Atem's voice appeared finally, but behind the taller man instead of behind the door.

Kaiba whirled around, narrowing his eyes. Oh good. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough." Though falling back into banter was quite easy, Atem was not smirking or happy in the slightest.

The CEO scowled. "Then you have no right to worry about your neighbors if you could have stopped me ten minutes ago."

The brunet had a point and Atem acknowledged it with a quiet nod of his head. Yes. An argument won in Kaiba's favor. And yet Seto felt absolutely no joy in winning this one. He stepped back as the shorter approached the apartment, inserting the key and unlocking the door. He certainly hadn't invited Kaiba in, but he hadn't exactly slammed the door in the man's face, either. So said man took it as an invitation to follow into the apartment close behind.

"What were you doing out at three in the morning?" He found he couldn't help but ask as he closed the door.

"That's hardly any of your business."

That answer brought Kaiba's anger back full circle. What right did Atem have to deny him information? Regardless of if they were fighting. His rival was still his and what he did with his life was important to the CEO when he still held Kaiba's title in his hands. He reached out, laying a hand on Atem's shoulder and shoving him back against the nearest wall. This wasn't exactly the most opportune way to begin an apology, Atem noted quietly, as he glared up at Seto. But he made no move to fight back. Yet.

"It is my business." Kaiba hissed right in Atem's face.

Crimson eyes absolutely burned with fury. But instead of yelling, he smirked. "You weren't so worried about sating my loneliness a couple of days ago. You don't have to worry about it now, either."

Blue eyes widened before Kaiba reigned himself in on the reaction. Now what the fuck did that mean? Was Atem out seeing other people? Something very painful twisted in Seto's chest, causing his grip to intensify. "You would go looking for company that isn't mine out of hurt. It's pathetic." The words would never come out right.

Somehow, thankfully, Atem didn't showcase hurt this time. Just rage. His hands balled in Seto's shirt tightly. "You're sniffing around my apartment feeling sorry for yourself. Who's really the pathetic one here? You for hanging on or me for moving on?"

Kaiba pulled Atem forward and pitched him back into the wall. It was not enough to truly hurt the shorter duelist, but enough to make one hell of a point. The shock registered before his eyes had rolled back, jarred slightly from the sudden hit. His grip on Seto's shirt loosened, but he didn't let go completely. Kaiba waited for Atem to pull himself together, not really sure what else to do at this point. He'd come here to fix things but all he was doing was putting a dent in Atem's wall.

Slowly that grip tightened again; Seto found himself slightly relieved, though he'd never admit it. Atem's eyes blinked open before he tilted his head back and looked up at Seto. His expression was completely unreadable at first.

Then, he grinned.

"You have one funny way of apologizing, Seto."

The fact that the King of Games had fallen back into a first name basis alleviated some of that weight in Kaiba's chest. The reaction still had caught him off guard. Was Atem-

"I'm not forgiving you." Almost as if he could read Seto's mind. "I'm acknowledging what you came here to try and do. But I'm also acknowledging this is a pretty shitty way of doing it."

Seto's lips pursed together. "_Tch_. I hope you're not expecting me to get on my knees and beg forgiveness. I won't." He really wouldn't, too. This was as close as it was going to come.

The shorter's grin faded into a smile as his arms wrapped around Seto's neck instead. "Duel me." He whispered.

"Is that a challenge?" Kaiba growled back, suddenly infuriated and confused at the same time.

"You have your deck on you?"

"Always." Kaiba found himself covering Atem's body with his own, pressing him back into the wall once more. He leaned in, about to silence the Game King with a kiss, until-

"I challenge you to a duel, Kaiba Seto." Atem whispered against Seto's lips, his eyes already closed.

Kaiba found himself inwardly cursing. A duelist never refused a challenge. "You will regret it." He growled back, releasing his hold on Atem. "The stakes?" He was already in the process of removing his deck from his pocket.

Atem straightened himself out, reaching into his deck box to retrieve his own deck. "If you lose you apologize." The man was going to try and force Seto into apology. Really, he was doing it for both their benefits. He knew Seto was sorry but unable to say it. He wanted to hear it, anyway. And humiliating the taller was sometimes a pleasing thing to do, especially when the man had hurt him so.

The brunet growled again. How dare Atem. "When you lose you will stop holding on to your feelings over this." No more of this fight. No matter who won, it ended tonight.


	3. Spoils of Victory

Dueling mats were so primitive. So basic. So annoying. There wasn't nearly enough space for them to use their Duel Disks (much less did Kaiba feel like going out to his car to get one), so they were forced to sit at the coffee table and use dueling mats. These were the things of school days. The technology had advanced so far that maybe Kaiba had thought all of these mats had been long since destroyed. But of course Atem had squirreled some away in his 'game room' of sorts. The man collected various games from around the world, perfecting and tuning his techniques to each and every one.

There was at least the closeness of dueling this way. Of being much more intimate a session. That didn't mean that both were shirking their Duelist responsibilities, though. Without cameras and the audiences, without holograms, they still played their best. Always. No matter what battlefield they faced each other on, they always played as hard as they could. This close they didn't need to shout at each other, and they had only their imaginations and strategies to see them through the game.

As usual Kaiba led out with an impressive streak. Atem battled valiantly. When the chips were down, the King of Games pulled back up with ridiculous strategies that Kaiba just shook his head at sometimes. The thrill of the game seemed somehow amplified as they stared across at each other, so close; no flashing lights to get in the way. Either of them could have reached out and pulled the other across the table for a kiss, ended the game and just gave in to what they both knew they were feeling. But the game came first. And the stakes that had been set were very high.

The last attack of the game came in. Even without the count down beeping of the life points draining away, Kaiba still somehow heard it them. The blip of the 0000 reading echoed in the room despite the technology not being present. Both Duelists heard it. Atem was smiling, content with his victory as always. He was awaiting his apology. His very hard earned apology.

Kaiba was reluctant to give it.

The room was silent for a good and full five minutes. Both men stared at each other, the decks untouched, remaining cards on the field still laying where they'd fallen, graves still full. The air in the room grew tight, thick with tension. Atem knew this was hard for Seto, but a prize was a prize, and the brunet always lived up to his word. Because of that, he didn't need to prod the other man into fulfilling his word. He wouldn't have, anyway. This was difficult, both a loss and an admittance of being wrong. He could imagine that Kaiba wasn't feeling too hot right now.

Seto's hand shot out, pulling the front of Atem's shirt, and by extension the man himself, across the table. A bruising kiss was placed on the shorter man's lips. "S-Seto-!" He protested, trying to pull back. He still had a prize to be given, damn it! Kaiba would not forfeit by starting this other particular game up. Kaiba moved around the coffee table, swooping one arm underneath Atem's legs and standing with the other duelist in his arms. Atem thrashed more. "God damn it Seto put me down!" Atem absolutely hated being carried around.

Kaiba knew. That's probably why he did it. He opened the door of Atem's bedroom and tossed the gamer onto the bed. Atem barely had any time to try and get up before his body was pinned with Seto's on top of his, his arms held above his head. The shorter man growled low in his throat, a slight warning. He did not enjoy being treated this way, being pinned, being man-handled and tossed around. It was demeaning. If this was really the way Kaiba thought apologizing worked-

"I'm sorry," Seto started, causing Atem's thrashing to come to a still. He softened, looking up into those blue eyes. The quiet atmosphere didn't stay for long though as Seto smirked maliciously. "I'm sorry that you're a fool who holds on too hard to these fights we have." There. There was his apology.

Atem was sorely upset. His struggles renewed, but Kaiba's grip was ironclad. He refused to let the man underneath him go. Leaning in, he pressed another harsh kiss to Atem's lips. The shorter became pliant for just a second, enough to fool Seto into thinking he'd won out. When their tongues met, Atem bit down on Seto's, causing the man to recoil with a hiss.

His grip on Atem's wrists tightened as he glared down at his lover. "You have no right to still be mad." The words were already starting back into what got him into trouble in the first place.

"That was no apology!" He protested, still trying to free himself.

"You never specified what I was to be apologizing about." A loophole that Kaiba had perhaps realized the first moment after Atem had set such vague stakes.

Atem's hands tensed, his body rocking up against Kaiba's as he tried to free himself. It wasn't working. Kaiba was bigger and stronger than he and he'd never denied such a thing. "Get out." He was seething.

Kaiba leaned in, his bangs falling forward, brushing against Atem's forehead. Their noses touched. For just a moment Atem stilled once again. Blue eyes searched crimson intently. "I'm tired of this fight." The brunet said quietly.

"You started it-"

"And I'm ending it. We're done with this. It's time to move on."

Atem knew Kaiba had showed up there to apologize. Atem knew Kaiba was sorry. Atem had won the duel. So as far as Kaiba was concerned, this was over with now. There would be no more. Seto leaned in to press his lips to Atem's, a strangely gentle kiss this time. Atem laid still for a moment before finally accepting what the CEO was saying, what he was doing. His eyes closed, his body rising to move against Seto's. The brunet's hands left Atem's wrists, leaving the smaller free to wrap them around Kaiba's neck. Kaiba's own arms wrapped around Atem, bringing him up and closer as their tongues met once more. Atem's soothed over the bite he'd acted out with earlier, maybe in an apology of his own.

Clothing was shed, the room became warmer; filled with exhaled breaths and quiet moans. Atem's head fell to the side, resting against a pillow, as Kaiba's lips caressed the spot he'd last made a mark on the smaller's neck two weeks ago. He shivered as Seto's tongue moved over the faint bruise. His fingers worked into that brunet hair, almost a soft plea. Words had gotten them into trouble before. Actions were better anyway.

Kaiba's teeth nipped the mark back to bright red. Atem exhaled a shaky moan, clinging tighter. "_Seto..._"

The man smirked, lips brushing over the new mark. "You really do like wearing them, don't you?"

"You just like making them..." A weak response, his mind already far idled out by now.

Kaiba chuckled low in his throat, his hand wandering down Atem's chest, fingers brushing over a nipple, the faint outline of his muscles, his hips. He took it all in, mapping out the smaller man's body. It was his to look at, his to know, his to touch. His rival had always been his. The absences that were necessary were far easier to take than this forced one. Should Atem ever come to know just how much power he might have had over Kaiba, it would be a dangerous thing. The brunet pondered this thought as he coated his fingers with lubrication, working one inside his lover's body.

Atem's breath caught in his throat, wrapping his arms around Seto's neck, hips shifting up of their own accord. But there was a small chance Atem already knew. Some of his actions would explain it. But right then, Kaiba wanted nothing more than to take back what he'd lost. It didn't matter who was wrong anymore. He needed, badly. And the body he needed was lying underneath his, rocking up against his own, forcing him to breathe tightly through his teeth. Forcing him to finish preparing his lover so that they could move forward. Always forward.

"Please..."

The Game King's voice broke through the haze of Seto's mind. That beautiful word. Asking. _Begging_, for him. He smirked. "Please what?" Even as he had asked, he'd replaced his hands to Atem's hips, positioning himself against the other.

"Hurry the hell up." Atem smirked back, leaning up to steal a kiss.

It was enough to break the moment, Kaiba rocking forward inside Atem's body with one quick thrust. Atem moaned into the kiss, clutching tighter to his taller lover. They found a quiet rhythm at first, but eventually both of them lost their senses to each other. It became quick and passionate, both of them holding on to one another. Atem was the first to come, a lost breath in the back of his throat before a loud groan broke through in the form of Seto's name. As his body clutched Seto's, both inwardly and out, it was enough to pull Seto right off that edge. He came harshly inside his lover, thrusting a few more times before trying to lie down next to the other.

Their labored breathing filled the room, growing quieter and quieter as the seconds passed. Atem grew still quicker than Seto, something that the brunet immediately recognized. Blue eyes blinked, looking around for an alarm clock or any sort of time telling device. He saw one on the bedside table, but it was unplugged for some reason. He sighed. How long could he afford to-

"..Tired…" Atem murmured, rolling on his side and snuggling up to the other man.

It was hard not to give in to it, into him. And Kaiba was tired too. So very tired. With another heaved sigh, he waited for Atem's breathing to drop deeper and slower. The moment it had, his arms moved around his lover, holding him closer. It wasn't long before he too fell asleep.


	4. Payback

"Do you have any coffee that is actually drinkable?" Kaiba asked as he poked around in Atem's cabinets. The sun was already halfway through the sky. He'd spent way too much time in the other man's apartment, and on sleeping for that matter. He needed to get some coffee in his system and be on his way.

"What's wrong with the can I have in there?" Atem asked from his spot in the bedroom doorway, lounging with a light smile, baring only leather pants and nothing else.

Seto, of course, was impeccably dressed and ready to go. He'd been so for ten minutes. This could have been considered loitering by now. "Are you completely incompetent?" His nerves were on edge slightly, having wasted so much time here. That damn bedside clock had been unplugged. He'd been too much out of it to realize at the time why that might have been, but now he was feeling a bit more coherent. The answer he was coming up with only got on his nerves more.

"I really only buy them for you. I hate the stuff." Couldn't stand it. But on the off chance that his lover and rival did manage to stay the night, as rare as that was, he knew it was best to have coffee in the cabinets. Kaiba seemed to live on the liquid alone. It was unusual that Atem ever saw him eating, and he never saw him drink anything else.

The cabinet doors closed with a quiet click. "Then I suggest you spend more than a few yen on crappy cans of coffee." He sighed angrily, checking his phone for the time. Entirely too much time spent here. "I'm leaving."

It was then that Atem chose to move from the doorway, the usual saunter of his hips unmistakable, even for Kaiba who was in a bad mood. "Come back soon?" He asked, a small grin as he reached up to brush Seto's upper arm with his hand.

Kaiba caught that wrist in his own hand, gripping lightly. His eyes narrowed. "I wouldn't count on it."

"Why not?"

Blue eyes narrowed. "Because the next time I want to be caught late for work I'll unplug my _own_ clocks. No need for you to do it for me." His tone was low and promised much danger.

Narrow shoulders shrugged. "I have no idea what you're talking about." Oh yes. Atem had unplugged his clock long before Seto had even shown up. It was always better to be prepared than not, even if he wasn't counting on much at the time that he'd done it.

His grip intensified. "You can query on it while I'm gone. I'll make sure to give you ample time to do so." And that was a promise he really was going to stick to.

With that, he let go of Atem's wrist and brushed him aside. Pulling at the edges of his suit jacket, straightening himself out, he strode to the door. There was a split second where he waited to see if Atem would say anything, anything at all. But there was only silence and what he knew was a grin directed in his direction. He scoffed and left the apartment. Atem leaned against the counter tops, that grin still in place. He raised a hand up to card through his multi-colored hair. "I suppose I'll see if Yuugi wants it..." No use in throwing out unopened coffee, after all.

Kaiba's steps were quick and even as he walked down the stairs and out of the apartment complex. He noticed a few kids mulling about by his car and was thoroughly unamused. They looked like ordinary street punks- ironic that that was his target market. They were Duelists, sporting Duel Disks upon each arm. Seto unlocked the car, the alarm chirping quietly. The kids took a step back and looked up at him.

"Is it true that the King of Games lives in that complex?"

Ah, so they must have thought that car belonged to Atem. Kaiba rolled his eyes. Fat chance. But this did give him quite the opportunity to pay Atem back for all his meddling. While said King of Games didn't live in the bad part of Domino, he lived in the quiet part. He did so because he didn't want fans finding out about where he lived. It would cause problems. And it had been the reason he'd moved out of the Game Shop. Fans were annoying, much more so when they knew your address. These kids were probably looking for an autograph. Or a Duel.

"Yes, it's true." Kaiba answered them with a smirk as he got into his car.

Good. Let Atem have to worry about them and waste his time when he next left the apartment. The prospect of such a thing already made Kaiba's day a little better. Now to pick up some coffee and get back to work.


	5. On The Attack

It was late in the evening by the time Atem had decided to step out of his apartment for the night. He'd given a call to Yuugi after taking a shower and cleaning up the rest of his apartment. It seemed that the younger had been interested in the unopened can of coffee, though it was more probable that Yuugi was simply interested in Atem's presence. It was very rare that Yuugi ever turned such a thing down.

Half an hour after the initial call, however, Yuugi had called back to say that the store was busy that day. No problem, Atem would just come later. He too loved spending time with his partner. But he would give Yuugi the time he needed to tend the store. He even offered his help but had been quickly turned down. So like his partner.

The store closed at nine that night, sending the last of its customers scurrying out the door. After closing up the register, he reached back to pull the phone from the wall. Atem's number was first on speed dial, of course. It only took one and a half rings for it to pick up.

"Hello?" Atem's voice called from the other side of the phone.

Yuugi smiled to himself. "All done for the day, _mou hitori no boku_." Old habits died hard.

"Ah. That's good news, _Aibou_. I was beginning to wonder if you'd stood me up." A soft chuckle.

Yuugi grinned. "I'd never!"

Another laugh. "Of course. Just a half hour. I'm on my way." And with that the line was cut, leaving Yuugi to tend to cleaning up the rest of the store while he waited. Maybe he'd start dinner, too...

Once the phone was hung up, Atem began dumping the black and white chess pieces back into the box. He'd been playing against himself, as usual, when there was nothing better to do. Kaiba had been gone all day, and had spent the night, _and_ was mad to boot. So there had been no point in calling his rival for anything. He'd probably get snubbed for the next day or so. It was fine, really. A small price to pay for what he'd done and gotten out of it.

He stood, stretching out his muscles before padding out into the living room. As usual, no matter where he was doing, his Duel Disk was fitted over his arm. He never went anywhere without it. Whether that was because it had become a true habit or because he had that pesky image to maintain, he really didn't care. He liked having his Duel Disk. He liked knowing that he'd be prepared no matter what came his way.

A good Duelist was always prepared.

The apartment was locked and the gamer was on his way down the stairs. The weather was a little chilly outside, one of the things he hated most about this place. Fall and Winter. They were seasons he just couldn't find it in himself to enjoy. Of course, Egyptian nights were freezing, too. But he'd never had much call to be out in them in the first place. So it wasn't like he'd gotten used to them. The cold weather took its toll, chipping away lightly at his good mood as he walked down the street.

At first he was too inside his own head to realize it. There were sets of footsteps falling behind his own. Once he did notice it, he tried to ignore it. Domino was a big place, and it wasn't exactly too late for other people to be outside roaming the streets. He took a turn down an alleyway; a shortcut to the Game Shop he'd found on one of his many walks there.

The footsteps still followed. _Now_ he knew something was up.

He turned, eyes very alert. There was a set of teenagers standing at the mouth of the alleyway he'd just entered. "What do you want?" He asked calmly.

"Lots of things." One kid answered.

"Things you're gonna give us."

"Whether you like it or not."

Cocky little bastards whoever they were. Atem was instantly not fond of them. But they each sported a Duel Disk on their arm. This was promising, at least. He could solve this quickly and then call Yuugi to apologize for being late. Maybe he'd pick something else up on the way to make up for it.

Smirking, he turned fully to all of them, extending his arm. "So, which first then?" And with that he raised his arm enough to trigger the Duel function, the disk plates sliding out and the mechanism turning on with its usual chirp and lights. His deck was placed into the slot and the coffee can put on the ground.

The kids all looked at each other before advancing. "No."

"We're done playing this game with you." ...repeat offenders? Had he seen these kids in the ring before? It was hard to make out. The black of the night and the dimly lit alleyway left a lot to the imagination, shadows covering their faces.

They kept walking forward. Atem tensed. Were they looking for a fight?

"We should rephrase. We're going to take what we want from you."

"We're done being humiliated."

"We're done watching you cheat."

At that Atem growled and took a step forward of his own. "Cowards. Only spineless fools would accuse me of cheating. Sore losers, at that, that you'd come after me like that and throw accusations like that around." He would never tolerate being called a cheat.

"We waited for you all day."

"And we waited a while for this."

They closed in on him, a punch thrown in his direction. Atem dodged easily out of the way, avoiding another one as the kids advanced in. They were trying to outnumber him, but he wasn't about to let them get their way. He threw a punch of his own, landing squarely on one of the teen's jaws, knocking the kid back against the wall. No matter how small the victory, he couldn't allow himself to get overconfident. The remaining three surrounded him from all sides, one landing a punch to Atem's lower back, pitching him forward.

A punch to the Game King's jaw had him moving back, and a kick to his side had him recoiling against a nearby dumpster. As they crept in again, he swung his arm out, edge of the Duel Disk catching one of them in the face, sending them hurtling to the side. But after just a few moments another punch was landed to Atem's temple. He tried to stay on his feet.

A missed punch from Atem's side had him moving too far out to stop himself. One kid held his shoulders. He thrashed. One advanced in with a cry of, "Enough of this bullshit!"

The sound of metal hitting the night air pierced Atem's system. It quickly pierced his flesh as well, sinking into his abdomen. He hissed, eyes closing tightly, elbow moving up and back to knock the wind out of the kid holding him. His arm moved over the wound, feeling the sticky warmth of blood pooling already.

He looked up a little too late to see the bottom of a shoe aimed at his face. He landed on his back with a thud, Duel Disk making a light scrape against the ground as he did so.

His breathing was harsh, vision darkened. The four of the kids circled around him, looking down on him. He tried to move, but one of them placed their foot against the wound in his stomach and pressed down hard. Another reached down to draw his deck from out of his Duel Disk. "Thanks a lot." He jeered, spitting in Atem's direction.

"But just so you really learn a lesson,"

A boot came down hard on the Duel Disk, the fine metals crunching underneath it. The technology protested, beeping quietly as the plates hummed softly. The kid stomped down a few more times before Atem cried out as his wrist was penetrated, bones crunching underneath the weight of the strike. They continued on until the disk shut down, crumpled and utterly broken.

A hushed couple of voices from the back end of the ally sent the kids running off, laughing as they did so. Atem's breathing was labored, cringing as the pain radiated through his skin and down his spine from all directions. The scene became a little blurry. Things stopped making sense. He reached for his phone inside his pocket but fumbled as he shook softly, dropping it to the ground.

"_Is that..._"

"_..The Game King?_"

"_..-god, someone call an ambulance!_"

Voices faded in and out as he struggled to keep his consciousness. Flashing red lights eventually blared down the alleyway, Atem closing his eyes and finally letting go of it all.


	6. Unknown

Two weeks. Another two whole weeks that he'd not seen Atem. Kaiba was getting very pissed off. The man's cell phone had been turned off, it seemed, or Atem was blocking his calls. His apartment phone would just ring and ring with no answer whatsoever. They'd not really fought the last time. What was Atem mad about now? What right did he have to be pissed off? Kaiba's anger only grew as the days went by with no word, no call, no answer.

Fortuitous that the man had been on the CEO's mind when he'd gotten a buzz from his secretary. "What is it?" His voice was icy and dark.

"Atem is here to see you."

Oh. Was that so? Atem was conceding this time around? Well good. Kaiba had had no plans to go see the other man after this stunt. Absolutely none. So it was good that Atem was taking the higher ground for once and coming to see him instead. But this left the brunet with the option of turning Atem away. He could. He could tell his secretary to tell Atem to simply fuck off. Tell him Kaiba had work to do, as he did. Yes, he could refuse a visit from Atem.

He didn't want to, though. He was owed an explanation, and whatever the reason Atem came, he knew there would be one in here for him. He turned his chair around, facing the large glass windows that allowed him to look down on the city. The sun had just sunk beneath the horizon, painting the sky with dark oranges and pinks. He laced his fingers together. "Let him in." But he would not face Atem at first.

There was no reply from the woman, only a bit of silence before his office doors opened and then closed again. He counted the steps until Atem stopped at his desk. No words were passed between them for a few seconds. Finally, Kaiba decided to take the initiative. "What do you want?" His voice was just as icy and cruel as it had been previously.

"I need a new Duel Disk." Atem's own voice was quiet and oddly subdued.

What the Game King had said had Kaiba reeling slightly. _**What**_? He came here for a new Duel Disk? What for? He had had the latest version. There was no new version out that he was missing. "Trying to get me to give you a freebie for your friends? I'm not having it. Have them pay like everyone else." What the hell was Atem asking for a Duel Disk for? It made no sense.

"I need a new Duel Disk, Kaiba." He said again after only a moment.

"Too bad." Kaiba answered back, still looking at the city.

A heavy coat of silence lined the room so suddenly. Kaiba merely closed his eyes and waited. Then there was the soft sound of metal scraping against his desk. He winced to himself, steeling the urge to spin around quickly in the chair. But he did finally turn around.

The sight that waited for him confused him more, and left him a little pained. Atem's Duel Disk was broken, a dense heap of awful torn circuitry and wrecked metals. That couldn't have happened by Atem just throwing it or even getting into a fit with it on. This was purposeful, and what more, it looked like it had been stomped on. A confused gaze was finally directed up at Atem and Seto's eyes only widened more.

His proud rival was standing slightly slack, his stance wounded and caved in. His arm was in a sling and his face was sporting bruises. Atem avoided his eyes, too, looking... defeated. "Atem, what-"

"I need a new Duel Disk." He said yet again.

Kaiba stood. "No more calls for today." He barked into the intercom. Striding passed Atem, he locked the doors of his office before turning to look at his rival again, walking closer. Atem still wouldn't look at him. "What happened?" The brunet asked carefully, standing just a few bare inches away. He resisted the urge to reach out and touch the smaller man.

"It doesn't matter. Are you going to give me a new Duel Disk or not?"

Seto rolled his eyes. "It's not like I have any new ones fresh on hand right here."

Atem turned. "Then I'm leaving."

Kaiba reached out but pulled back immediately. Would he hurt Atem simply by touching him? "I'll call one up for you. Wait just a minute." He needed to figure out what the hell happened. Who had done this to Atem? To his Duel Disk? A sickening thought hit him full force. "...where is your deck?"

Atem's good hand clenched at his side. "I'm not in the mood for a duel right now."

"That's not why I asked."

"Then what does it matter?"

This wasn't going to work. They couldn't banter right now, they couldn't afford it. Something had happened to Atem, enough to shake him. Someone had attacked him, that much was clear. Someone had ruthlessly cornered him and attacked him, broken his Duel Disk, and possibly stolen his deck. Kaiba wanted to find out who, right now. But he knew he couldn't just keep pressing for details. His attention was brought back up by Atem wobbling slightly in place before taking a seat on the couch.

It was a step in the right direction, albeit a painful one. Kaiba moved to sit next to him. Words still wouldn't come.

"Yes, alright?" Atem ground out after another few moments of feeling Kaiba's gaze on him. "I was attacked." It was only too obvious. Why bother prolonging it when Seto probably already figured that out?

"By who?" Kaiba's questions would be carefully picked, and quiet.

Atem shook his head. "I didn't see their faces."

So there was more than one. "How many?"

"Four."

Seto was transported back to that day two weeks ago when he'd left Atem's apartment. Hadn't there been four kids waiting outside? No. No, that couldn't be right...

"Sporting Duel Disks." He said low in his throat, his hands clenching in his lap.

Atem finally turned his broken gaze towards his rival. "How would you know that?"

"Everyone in this city duels, and if they don't, they're fools. It wasn't a hard guess to make."

"But a pointless one, with that logic." Atem pointed out.

Blue eyes met crimson, searching. "Tell me what happened."

He took in a deep breath, releasing it slowly. The events were accounted for as best as he could remember, as much as he had told the police when he'd come to at the hospital. Everything had been a little muddled and some of his accounts might have been off, but the story was as he remembered it, almost perfect. Being pursued by kids who had been waiting for him, quite a while it had seemed. Duelists that he may or may not have faced before. The recount of being called a cheat had Kaiba narrowing his eyes- the part where his deck was stolen was even worse. Kaiba paused him at that part.

"What of the God cards?"

But Atem shook his head. "I don't carry them around in my original deck anymore." It wasn't fair to up and coming Duelists for him to have them and he respected that.

Kaiba nodded. He thought it was a stupid rule, but one that had saved Atem nonetheless. All the other cards could be replaced except those. But they shouldn't have to be. That was Atem's deck, damn it. He wasn't going to let some teens go unpunished for stealing his rival's deck, for beating up his rival, and for breaking his rival's Duel Disk. The police force was utterly useless, anyway. There would be no reason to rely on them to get anything done.

Atem continued with the story, talking about the people he had heard around him. Then he jumped a few days ahead when he'd awoken in the hospital. Yuugi had been waiting by his bedside in tears. They'd kept the media out of this, though that was a hard task to accomplish. It explained why Kaiba hadn't been alerted to it, at least.

The Game King finished the story with a sigh, looking up at the CEO. "So I need a new Duel Disk." A weak and awful smile was directed at Kaiba.

"I will get you a new Duel Disk. I will also get you these delinquents. And they will get what they deserve." Death, as far as Seto was concerned.

Atem paused, nodding after a few minutes. Then he stood, shaky, but managing to keep his balance. "Alright. Thank you, Seto. I'll get out of your way."

Kaiba rose as well, placing a careful hand on Atem's shoulder. "I just canceled my calls for the day for you. You're not going anywhere." He needed to keep his smaller lover in his sight for a while. Two weeks had gone by without him knowing about this and that was a punch to the gut. Atem had gotten beaten up on the streets, his deck stolen, and that was by far unacceptable. He needed Atem to stay, for his own peace of mind. He needed ... to make things right somehow. This had been his fault. He knew it.

The King of Games smiled weakly again. "I'll stay, then."


	7. Pride: A Silent Killer

It was only a few hours after their initial first talks that Atem had laid down on the couch and Kaiba had found himself back behind his desk. Only a few more minutes after that had Atem's deep and heavy breathing filtered throughout the quiet air of the office. Kaiba had back to coding his latest program, feeling a little better knowing that Atem was within arm's reach, that nothing was about to happen to him, that he wasn't about to disappear. He glanced up every so often to just look at the other sleeping, lying on his back, broken wrist resting on top of his chest. He'd seen that hand slip down to his abdomen once or twice and be instinctively pulled back. It was a painful thing to watch.

Working was hard even now, even knowing that Atem was with him, because he still needed to figure out where these thugs were. The quicker the better, seeing as they had Atem's deck in their possession. They could have been doing any number of things with it; burning it, drowning it, or selling it. Hm. That would make the most sense. If they were looking to turn a profit, selling the King of Game's deck would definitely prove to be quite a good amount of money coming their way. They'd have to prove it was authentic, of course. But Atem's cards were full of the usage of wear after long use. His cards were almost unmistakable sometimes. And yet even having a little wear with use over the years, the cards were still somehow in impeccable shape. Kaiba remembered them almost as well as he knew his own deck.

Atem shifted slightly on the couch, the left side of his jacket falling to hang over the side. There was a slight sound of clacking that had the promise of pills. It would make sense for the doctors to prescribe Atem pills, pain killers, most likely. Kaiba found himself curious. He stood from his desk, going over to the jacket and kneeling slightly. He was quick and quiet in extracting not one, but two bottles of pills from the man's coat. He moved away after that, going back to his desk to slip on a pair of reading glasses to inspect the fine print along the spine of the label.

Pain killers, as he'd thought; a generic brand. The second bottle revealed itself to be a generic brand of antibiotics. That Kaiba wasn't so sure about. There was also the fact that neither of them were opened or used in any way. That could be excused if Atem had headed straight for Kaiba Corporation after his release from the hospital. But had he? Kaiba hadn't thought to ask.

Blue eyes lifted beyond the frame of the glasses as his fingers flew over the keyboard in a series of quick successions. The hospital, the doctor's name, and the drugs were all put into use of a search. It was a quick and easy process to hack the hospital's medical files. Atem's diagnosis came up on screen after another series of clicks. Kaiba sat back to give it a read over.

Only a few things were interesting to him-

_**Patient suffers from insomnia, only sleeping for one hour at a time; sleep is plagued with unrest and unease. **_

_**Patient does not eat regular meals that are brought to him. **_

_**Patient is very distressed; patient continually asks about his Dueling Deck.**_

_**Patient has sustained fever; patient's wound is infected.**_

So that explained the antibiotics. Kaiba's eyes moved to Atem's sleeping form once more. He didn't seem very restless right then. Just quiet and calm and definitely in the throes of quite a deep sleep. It almost made the CEO feel a little smug that his presence alone could allow for Atem to experience such a feeling of safety. That was obviously what had been plaguing him before. A normal reaction.

Kaiba scrolled down the rest of the outline. The date of Atem's release was-

"...three.."

Three days ago. So Atem hadn't come straight to him. It didn't really matter why, though pride probably had a lot to do with it. What mattered was that Atem was suffering willingly. He'd not taken his medication in three whole days. While pain pills could be overlooked, antibiotics could not. Now that he had time to think about it, that might have had to do with Atem's wobbling earlier that had forced him to take a seat.

The CEO found himself in a tight spot. Atem had recounted the fact that Yuugi had been there in the hospital. That meant that either Yuugi was allowing Atem to go untreated, which was unlikely, or the younger didn't know Atem wasn't taking care of himself. That avenue was much more likely given Atem's pride and the situation at hand. So sending the Duel King off into the hands of someone who was unaware of what Atem was doing to himself would benefit no one. Atem needed to be watched, like a child apparently.

But watching over him would leave little time to work, let alone to find those kids. Kaiba sighed, slipping his glasses off and rubbing the bridge of his nose. Why did his rival always have to make things complicated?

"Damn it."


	8. Slow Realization

He was awake even before he'd really woken up. Atem found himself stuck in an odd space of slow realization of the world around him but still lying still, eyes closed, still out of it. His body was still sleeping, his mind was starting to wake up. He heard things; a soft shuffling of papers, the gentle hum of a computer fan, a few steps on the carpet of the office. He felt things; the ripple of burning pain across his stomach and the twinge in his wrist, the heat of the room. For a moment he wasn't sure if he was to let his mind drift back into peaceful rest. It had been a long time since he'd experienced it- since he'd been attacked, for the most part.

There was a cool, trickling sensation on his forehead. Crimson eyes fluttered open, a soft murmur from his lips. It was enough to make a decision. The room didn't immediately come into focus. He blinked a few more times, seeing the bottom of a clear plastic bottle, and the man holding it over his head just above.

"Seto...?" His voice was worn and still tired.

The bottle was removed and handed to the man. "Hn. It's time you woke up, I think."

Atem sat up slowly, minding his arm and expertly steeling a wince when his abdomen started a whole new level of pain upon being moved. He sat up straight, taking the bottle in his hand. He was still in the office, he noted, not that he had expected to wake up anywhere else. The city outside was dark. It must have been late, or the beginnings of being very early. "What time is it?" Couldn't hurt to ask.

Kaiba leaned against the arm of the couch, crossing his arms. "Four in the morning." All the office drones had poured out hours ago. The only people left in the building were dedicated techs, security, custodial, and the two men in the top office.

The lid was twisted open, Seto seeming to have already unscrewed it properly before. While Atem didn't really like the prospect that Kaiba thought he was too weak to open a bottle... with a broken wrist, it was better this way. He downed half the bottle in one go, feeling the raw beginnings of a sore throat. He wasn't sure why. And then there was- "Why is it so hot in here? Can you open a window?" It was the early time of Winter. Sure having heat in the office made sense, but this was ridiculous.

Kaiba huffed. "Those windows don't open. It's not irregularly warm in here." Only one window had ever been 'open' in this office, and it was in a much less conventional way that led with a man's body on the pavement below. Blue eyes lifted towards said window before returning to Atem.

"If you say so." What more could he say to that? He certainly didn't feel like he had the energy to argue; his head had already started pounding and the room felt a bit... fuzzy.

Seto rounded the couch, standing in front of Atem. "I do say so. It is not the room that is warm, it's you." The shorter man's face was flushed, it was the reason Kaiba had bothered to wake him up at all.

"I just need some air." He would deny anything was wrong with him as long as he could. Kaiba had already seen him at a pretty low point, having a fever on top of it didn't help matters. If he got outside into the fresh air he'd cool down and he'd be fine.

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "You don't need to be outside, you need these." And with that, his hand dropped into his pocket to produce an orange bottle of pills.

Atem's eyes widened for a moment before he'd dropped the water bottle to his side in order to search his jacket. Of course he turned up empty. "Why did you take those?" Why had Kaiba gone through his things? What call did he have to snoop around?

"The question here is, why aren't you?"

His eyes left Kaiba's defiantly, looking away, leaning back into the couch. Only because he wanted to, of course, not because something was wrong with him. "I don't need them."

At that the CEO scoffed. "If I had to guess I'd say you're sporting a temperature of about thirty-nine degrees* right now." He stepped closer, eying Atem down. "Not only that, but you're swaying in place."

Had he been? Atem really hadn't noticed. The minute Kaiba had said it he forced himself to take note of the situation and stop himself. His eyes returned to Seto's, defiant, if not a little foggy. "It'll go away on its own."

"No, it won't. Take these." He replied quickly, thrusting the pill bottle into Atem's face.

The noise as the pills jostled against each other and the bottle was akin to nails on a chalkboard to him right then. He leaned back further. "I said I don't need them."

Kaiba sat down next to Atem, trapping him against the arm of the couch. "This is the last time I make this a choice for you. Take the pills." His voice was calm, but promised much threat. He would not allow Atem to get worse under his watch, and the man's petulant behavior was really starting to get on his nerves.

"I don't-"

Kaiba glared. "It is understandable, though stupid, that you want to carry the pain of your injuries to keep remembrance in you. That I can understand. But these are not pain pills, Atem. They are antibiotics. You have an infection, one that you probably left the hospital with because you walked out on them. If you don't take these pills, it will only get worse. Any chance of exacting revenge and getting your deck back flies out the window if you are not able bodied enough to take back what is yours. Do you understand me?" His speech had started off with quite a note of hypocrisy. He probably wouldn't be taking pain pills either, nor would he have stuck around in a hospital bed. But Atem was going to be stubborn about this because he was most likely ignorant. Kaiba needed to remind him what was at stake, regardless of if it was a jab to the man's pride. There were more important things right now, strangely.

He was slightly stuck. Kaiba was leaning enough to abstain from hurting him, but if he himself moved, he felt a twinge of pain. Atem was sure the move was strategic, of course. That didn't mean he had to like it. He didn't like what the brunet was saying, either. There was a deep chord of truth there. And of course he'd wanted revenge. That was his deck. They'd cornered him. He really wanted to hurt them, something that would have had his partner cringing at.

Atem frowned, reaching his open palm out. Kaiba inclined his head, not taking pride in this victory. It was just a necessity. "Good." The lid of the pill bottle was unscrewed, the appropriate number of pills placed in his rival's palm and he watched carefully that Atem swallowed them with the water he'd provided a moment ago.

After he was finished, the bottle of water had been drained completely. He'd been more thirsty than he'd realized. The bottle was place down on the floor. Kaiba's hand then moved, his fingers brushing along the underside of the smaller's jaw, tilting his gaze. Atem seemed confused. "What are you..."

Seto leaned in closer still, gazing into Atem's eyes. "Making sure your pupils aren't dilated. Be quiet." He needed to check for any other symptoms. And while he was at it, he tilted Atem's head down, pressing his lips against his rival's forehead.

Atem's eyes lowered. "Seto..."

He pulled back with a slight smirk. "Thirty-nine, just like I thought." A little smug that his estimation had been correct. After saying so his hand dropped away from Atem's face and he stood. "It might do you well to rest a little more, but you probably need to get some food in you, as well."

"You said it was four in the morning." The King of Games was slightly reeling from the close touches and almost affectionate treatment he'd just received, even if it had been in the name of diagnosing him. That part bothered him.

Kaiba smirked more. "There's nothing I can't get. Are you so delirious with fever that you've forgotten who I am?" Anything Atem wanted right now was not out of reach.

"Those kids. That's what I want." Atem answered after a moment of silence, his head dropped forward, his good hand clutching in his lap. Burning shame was bubbling through him, mixing with the pain of his injuries. The more he thought about it, the more everything hurt. The fact that Kaiba had to seem him this way was almost unbearable at the same time.

Seto paused, his smirk wavering until it dropped completely into a frown. He understood what Atem was going through. The pain of defeat was an awful one. He stepped forward, placing a hand on his rival's shoulder. He then waited for Atem's eyes to raise back to his own. "You have my word." Completely sincere in that moment, his eyes unguarded for the first time in a long time. There was a completely obvious note of guilt in that cerulean gaze.

Atem searched that gaze with his own, eyebrows knitting together for just a moment. The room had fallen quiet, Seto was still touching him, waiting it seemed for an answer. He smiled weakly, nodding once. "Thank you, Seto."

The brunet waited another minute before backing off, the smirk coming back into play. "Your thanks are unnecessary. Your getting better is, though. So hurry up."

* * *

*39 Celsius degrees is about 103 Fahrenheit


	9. They Will Be

Just a handful of days had passed since Kaiba had vowed not only to Atem, but to himself, that he would bring these kids in. As well as in the meantime watch over Atem and make sure he got better. The man hadn't been so defiant, not as much as he had when they'd started, after that quiet moment in the office. He ate when food was offered, though he only picked at it, he took his medication, though had been staving from his pain killers still. He didn't move around a lot, just sat on the office couch, staring absently out the window while Kaiba worked. Kaiba had tried to ignore it at first, but he knew what Atem was doing. And it hurt.

So he'd moved them back to the mansion, for now. A temporary placement. He couldn't stay in Atem's apartment to watch him, and being able to stare out at the city and wonder where his attackers were was probably a worse thing for Atem to be doing. At home he had his office, so he could work from there while being sure to keep an eye on his lover.

Seto had been working quietly, managing coding between searching for those damn kids. His memory was good enough for him to recall what each one looked like, but that was almost useless information to him. They were normal looking kids, Duelists no less. There were thousands like them in this city alone. He wouldn't give up, but it was frustrating. To go back through all the tournament rosters was a tiring endeavor, but it was the only thing left to him.

He took a sip of his lukewarm coffee, sighing to himself as he clicked over another tournament. Atem participated in so many of them. He wasn't even halfway through with this task. A soft thump in the hallway caused him to look over the screen of his laptop. Someone shadowed passed the doorway before continuing to move down the hall. The staff should have headed home long ago, that only left Mokuba, but he wasn't home tonight- and Atem.

Kaiba stood from his laptop, leaving his office and going out into the hallway. Sure enough, Atem was walking, slightly slumped over, hand pressed against the wall to guide his steps.

"What are you doing out of your room?" Kaiba approached him carefully, tone not quite yet annoyed. He wouldn't admit it, but it was a nice break from the crushing guilt he had been facing at his computer.

The shorter man looked around, as if he couldn't place where that voice was coming from. He then looked over his shoulder and smiled at the brunet. "I think I got lost..." His tone was rather amused.

This confused Kaiba, the CEO stepping forward to place a hand on Atem's shoulder. Inspecting Atem's face closer, he smirked to himself. "You took your pain medication, didn't you?" So the mighty Game King had finally cracked.

"Your home is so big, just for you and- ..." His thoughts were running together, the only thing he was aware of was the slightly foggy feeling in his brain and the most amused emotion in the back of his mind. He blinked up at Seto. "It hurt. Really bad. I just thought it might not be so bad to take a few."

Kaiba would have to get a camera or something because this moment was almost too good to pass up. Atem was loopy on pain meds. How many other chances was he going to get to see his rival this way? "How many?" But first things first, he had to make sure that Atem hadn't taken a fist full of pills.

"Just three. Three is a safe number." He nodded to himself, like this was the most logical statement in the world.

Seto continued to smirk. Three was fine, three wouldn't kill him. Three was just enough to get him like this. So yes, three was a safe number, for the both of them. "Do you need help finding your room again?" His hand moved from Atem's shoulder to his back, trying to turn him in the right direction to said room.

But Atem bristled at this and stepped away. "I don't need help. I know where it is." Still as prideful as ever, even with this hilarious turn of events.

"Of course you do." Kaiba was having almost too much fun with this. "So go back there now."

The man looked down one end of the hallway. Then he looked down the other way. Then he looked back again. Confusion ran clear across his face as he seemed to be trying to make a decision. What way had he even come from? These hallways all looked the same! Most of the doors were closed, and he swore the same paintings hung on each wall of every hallway just to be more confusing. Where was his room? He didn't even know. "This way..." He breathed out and started heading to the right.

"Wrong." Kaiba remarked quietly, just watching for now.

Atem scowled at him and turned quickly to go in the other direction. He'd show that smug Kaiba. The turn was a little too quick, however, his feet getting caught up themselves. He was too slow in realizing that he was taking a dive for the carpet. His eyes had closed, waiting for the ground to find him, but when he opened them again he realized he was being carried by Kaiba. "Put me down." His voice was quiet, not really a protest in the slightest. In fact, his head had come to lay on Seto's shoulder.

Kaiba rolled his eyes with a shake of his head. "You're useless like this." As funny as it was, Atem wasn't up to usual standards. If he'd really been in a lot of pain, fine, Seto would excuse taking medication that was prescribed, but he wanted his rival back. He wasn't used to being allowed to carry Atem around with no fight. No fight... No fight in his rival. The very thought was displeasing.

He'd closed his eyes, enjoying Seto's comforting warmth. When he'd opened them again he recognized himself to be in the master bedroom, Kaiba placing him down on the bed. He shared this room with Seto now, not that the brunet ever slept. And if he was sleeping, it wasn't with him. He found a lot of his time alone, but it was better than being in Kaiba's office, taking up his time. Kaiba had probably been working just now, too. Was he working when he'd been attacked?

Had Kaiba been looking down on the city while he was lying in the alleyway bleeding?

"What did you just say?" Kaiba froze, a look of slight horror on his face that was quickly masked.

Atem hadn't even realized he'd spoken out loud. "Sorry for bothering you from your work. You can go back now." He laid his head back on the pillows.

Seto scowled. "That's not what you said."

"I don't remember."

It was alright either way; Kaiba really didn't want to hear that again. No, he hadn't been looking out at the city. The time of the attack he'd been working. Sitting in front of his computer, thinking about nothing more than getting his usual release work done. Atem hadn't even been on his mind. He hadn't even known that his rival, his lover no less, had been attacked. He had had no idea. All he'd felt was anger that Atem hadn't bothered to call him. He hadn't known.

He stayed standing stiffly, watching Atem for just another moment before turning on his heel. He did have work to get back to, and this lapse of Atem's mental capabilities, while amusing, had been witnessed enough.

"Yuugi didn't know either." Atem spoke again.

Kaiba stopped in the doorway, his hand reaching to lay against the frame, tightening slightly. "He was there when you woke up."

"He thought I was dueling someone when I was late. No one knew. No one was there."

The CEO wasn't quite sure what to say. Everyone was alone. That was the way the world worked. If you didn't have the strength to stand up on your own, you were a goner. ...Atem had almost died because of such a thing. "You got help. People were there."

"My title, that's all that matters. They had said Game King. That was the only reason those kids were after me. A title. I'm not a person, just a title. That's the way it was back then, too. That's all you cared about, too, when we met the first few times." Atem's voice had lapsed into a solemn subdued state as he rambled on, looking at the ceiling, almost completely gone at this point.

What could Kaiba really answer that with? Titles were important. Titles made a person. What was Atem after? What did he want him to say? Kaiba sure as hell had no idea.

"They would have killed me."

Kaiba found it hard to breathe just then. Atem had said that with such certainty. Had he thought he was going to die? His hand clenched harder into the wood of the door frame. "You're not dead, focus on that." His voice sounded harsh to his own ears. But what more could he say?

"They beat me up, they cut me open, they took my deck, they broke my Duel Disk and then my wrist." He continued droning on. "I couldn't stop them. And they would have killed me had those people not been there. All this time here spent trying to have a new life, it almost came to a close that night."

Why was Atem doing this? Why was he saying these things? What purpose did it serve except to make Kaiba feel worse?

"I would have died in that alleyway, alone."

Kaiba's chest constricted painfully. What would he have done if Atem had? By those kids that he'd led in Atem's direction? It would have been his fault.

"I would-"

Seto turned around storming back to the bed. He opened the side table drawer, taking that bottle of pain killers and putting it in his pocket. He was taking them away. No more. "You're better than this." He growled, his anger, his fear, his guilt all welled up inside. "You didn't die. You're not dead. Stop living in the past. It's over with. You have to look forward to getting your things back. You can't dwell on what they did."

Atem looked at him, uncertain at first. Then he smiled. "When I'm with you I don't feel so alone."

Kaiba closed his eyes and looked away. "That's because you're not, you idiot. Being with someone else is the exact opposite of being alone." Why was Atem doing this to him?

Crimson eyes just sort of stared for a while. So long a time in fact that Kaiba was beginning to think he'd zoned out. Then Atem's lips parted to speak. "Seto I l-"

Kaiba's hand came over Atem's mouth, muffling his words and stopping him completely. His heart jumped in his chest. He might have even paled. "Stop it. You're not in your right mind. Save that kind of garbage for when you are." He was sure Atem wouldn't say something like that when he was back to normal. And right now he really didn't want to hear it.

His hands came around Seto's wrist, pulling that hand from his mouth. But he nodded dully, still smiling. Some part of him knew what Kaiba just did was the best thing for the both of him. He needed to stop this. "Any luck with them yet?"

"I'm getting closer." He said, just leaving his hand in Atem's grip for now. It wasn't a lie; he was closer than when he started, even if he was nowhere near close at all.

Atem nodded, releasing Seto's hand. "Okay."

The brunet stood there for just a moment, maybe a little confused. Just okay? After all of that talk about being cut open, dying alone, and a narrowly avoided confession- things were just okay? "Are you alright?" Was there some force behind this, more than just the pain medication?

He smiled. "I will be."

Kaiba scoffed, looking away. "Good. Don't forget your goals. They're much better than dwelling on what has already happened." He couldn't offer much more than that. But for now, he hoped it was enough. He turned, ready to leave the room. He had to get back to work, for both their sakes.

"I will be..."

The answer came again, stopping Seto in his tracks in the doorway. He didn't look over his shoulder, nor did he respond. But there was a creeping feeling in his chest that Atem _knew_. It was impossible for him to have known. He scoffed to himself, knowing the guilt was getting the better of him. He didn't have time for this. He needed to keep going and find them. This needed to be over with.


	10. The Beginning Of The End

It was in the AM that day, Atem feeling and looking much better, more like the man he was and less a frightened shell. Breakfast had been laid out on the table, though as usual, he was still only picking at the food given to him. It must have been a habit. He did have a slender form, at least, so that just must have been how he retained it. Kaiba was sitting next to him, coffee in hand, laptop on the table, still working. They'd lapsed into a very quiet, but comfortable, companionable (if one could call it that) silence.

For most of the time, Atem let Kaiba do whatever he needed to. He didn't bother the brunet, and since the night of the pain medication, had been very determined to get better. When asked if he remembered most of the things that had happened, he expressed that he didn't remember a lot of the conversation. Kaiba didn't know if this was the truth or if the other Duelist was covering for himself, but in the end it didn't matter. Atem had a sense of accomplishment to fulfill and it was propelling him. Seto knew better than to get in the way of something like that.

Kaiba on the other hand had been working night and day. Kaiba Corporation along side browsing those rosters, it was all made easier when Atem started taking care of himself. He'd at least gotten a little bit further than he had before. His absence at the company at least wasn't hurting it, and that was one of the main factors. Working from home wasn't _so_ bad. But after this it would stop. That he was very sure of.

"Since you didn't see their faces, I'm going to compile a list of pictures for you to look at." Kaiba broke the silence after finally having spotted one of them. Yes. Yes this was it. But he needed to make sure Atem picked them out for himself.

The other man turned to look at Seto, slightly confused. "If I didn't see their faces, what good will pictures do?"

"What good would any of it do? If you're so sure that you won't be able to identify them, why have I been looking for them this whole time?"

That was true. Why hadn't he thought about that before? He was just so sure that Kaiba would be able to find them for him, even if the brunet hadn't seen them himself. Kaiba knew every Duelist in Domino City, probably the world. He was the one who constructed the database, anyway. Atem had just been so sure that Kaiba would be able to bring them in. Now he wasn't sure why that was.

Seto placed the coffee mug down on the table lightly. "When you see them you will know. You didn't say that you couldn't see them one-hundred percent. You said they were shadowed. I am certain you will know once you see them." Kaiba had the advantage of having seen them in broad daylight. But he needed Atem to pick them out. Otherwise how could he explain how he knew who they were? He was very much wanting to not go down that road at present moment. Maybe some other time, but he couldn't have Atem mad at him right now. They needed to focus.

Atem poked his fork into his food, thinking about that. He'd have to take Kaiba's word for it now. But if it came down to it, would he really be willing to pull innocent people off the street just to test if they were the right people? He wasn't so sure about that. "Well, I guess I have the advantage of having seen them before in the ring."

Ah, yes. That was true. Kaiba had narrowed his search down by doing that alone. Whoever these kids were, they'd participated in tournaments and had gotten high up enough to face Atem himself. It still only helped a little, Atem having participated in many tournaments over the years. But it was enough. Finally their faces were starting to show. Once another one popped up so soon, Kaiba created a folder for their pictures, and a few throw away ones. "Have you thought about what you want to happen when I bring them in?"

It was an important question. Kaiba wasn't sure what Atem was after besides getting his deck back. But what after that? He was hardly the cold blooded murderer that he used to be. After being attacked, though, Kaiba wasn't sure that he didn't want to hurt them back. He was willing to allow anything. Anything at all. If Atem wanted these kids dead, he'd let them die, whether by his hands, Atem's hands, or the both of them. He'd wipe their names off the face of the earth if Atem wanted to go that far. There was nothing he was not capable of doing and getting away with. But he needed to know what Atem wanted.

Maybe the other Duelist didn't even know. He'd fallen silent, seeming to have taken up staring down into his glass of orange juice. Kaiba wouldn't prod. It just gave him more time to look over those rosters. "I want to Duel them." He said finally. "After that I ... I don't know."

So, he was uncertain after all. Seto had thought that on the first day Atem had arrived he'd definitely been out for blood. Maybe that was true, too. But as the days passed and he was nursed back to health, his anger subsided a little. It was probably Yuugi's influence on him. When he thought about how Yuugi would react to knowing what he'd done... it wasn't good. But he wanted to Duel them. All of them. Four on one if he had to. He would prove to them he was no cheater.

"And if they've destroyed your deck?"

Atem swallowed harshly. Gods help them then. He really didn't know what he'd do. "They better not have. That's all I can say."

Kaiba smirked to himself, raising the mug of coffee to his lips and taking a sip. Well, that was very promising. It was nice to have his rival back.

They fell back into silence after that; Atem seemingly contemplating what to do with his attackers and Kaiba back to working. He'd received a phone call from Kaiba Corporation only a few minutes afterwards that led him back into his office. Atem didn't really mind. He cleaned up his plate and went to sit in the living room, just gazing out of the window. At first all he could think about where those thugs were and bringing them down. Now when he looked outside all he thought about was getting back to Dueling, back to his life.

He didn't want to sit around feeling sorry for himself anymore. He'd come to realize how much he hated it. And with his infection cleared, his stitches out, and his wrist healed, all he wanted to do was go outside. It was a nice day out. He could tell that the air was coated with a crisp chill, but even knowing that didn't stop him from smiling. The sun was still out and the front lawn of the Kaiba Manor looked very enticing.

His new Duel Disk was sitting up in his room- his makeshift room, anyway. This time spent with Kaiba had been really nice, even if during it he'd been at some of the lowest points in his life. He was sure Kaiba was never going to forget how weak he'd let himself be. But he was learning that that was alright. Even if Seto had hated it, at least the other man wasn't poking him about it. At least not yet. He'd liked knowing Seto was only a few doors down. He'd liked eating with him, falling asleep to the sound of him typing, waking up to see him dozing lightly in his chair. If anything, this attack brought him back to being grateful for his existence here, rather than just drifting along. While that was the only thing that was good about it, it was still good.

Papers were then hung in front of his face, his head tilted back to look at Kaiba. He must have drifted off into his thoughts. He wasn't sure how long for. "What's this?"

"Photos."

Kaiba had printed up the final ten photographs after he'd been off from his call. It hadn't been anything serious, so there was no reason to rush off. Everything was handled and then he'd gone back to looking through the rosters. The remaining two kids had been found, so he'd thrown in six more for good measure. Then he'd come downstairs to see Atem drifting off into space or so it had seemed, just staring out the window.

It was time for this to be over.

Atem turned away from the window, Kaiba taking a seat next to him on the couch. He spread the pictures along the table, taking a deep breath. The first one didn't garner much of a reaction from him. No, he was certain this person hadn't been one of the ones.

But the second picture had him sitting up stiff. Seto was watching Atem very, very carefully. "That's one of them." He pointed to the picture.

"How sure are you?" Kaiba's tone was in a carefully placed quiet and calm right now. But Atem _had_ just pointed to one of the correct ones.

"Completely."

Seto nodded, taking the picture and waiting for the next judgment. Again, Atem went tense. Was this hurting him to do? Seto reached to place a steady hand on the Game King's shoulder, just to keep him there. He hadn't really known what Atem was dealing with in all of this. Aside from that one night of babbling while he'd been on the medication, Atem had been carrying his pain silently. Seto certainly hadn't prodded him to share. This was the only comfort he could offer Atem right now.

"This one too." He said, almost a little too weakly for Seto's tastes. But the brunet simply nodded and took the picture.

The next picture was studied, but in the end he shook his head at it. Not one of the thugs that attacked him. He just didn't get the sense it was one of them. The next few were wrong, too. He just didn't get the feel that these people were the ones behind his attack. But the last two he narrowed his eyes at, feeling that same chilling sensation down his spine, his stomach recoiling in pain. Even his wrist felt heavy and sore. "These two. That's it."

Kaiba nodded, taking the pictures. Atem had correctly identified all four of them. It was a slight relief.

Crimson eyes were directed up towards him, nothing short of curious. "What happens now?" The man asked.

Kaiba smirked, maliciously so. "Now I make a few phone calls. And I shall have them for you by the end of the day."

"Away from public eyes." Atem's gaze had hardened. Was he thinking about revenge again?

The brunet nodded. "Of course."

With that, the CEO stood, ready to get these punks and bring them down- hard. Even if he had their blood on his hands as the night ended, he found he didn't care. He wanted revenge too. "Get ready." Kaiba said, glancing over his shoulder at the smaller man still sitting on the couch. "Do not show them your weakness, but your anger."

"I will." Atem's tone was low and dangerous.

Kaiba smirked again. "Then we're set to go."


	11. Deciding Duelists

Night had fallen on Domino when Kaiba finally came to Atem's room. This would be the last time, he was sure of it. After they finished up tonight, Atem would go back to living in his apartment. They'd go back to normal. It was all he could hope for right now. Ever since he'd said he would bring those kids in, Atem had been missing all day. It hadn't mattered, really, Kaiba was busy tracking them down and dispatching his men to go get them. In the end it seemed they'd gone their separate ways, or at least weren't hiding together. It hadn't been a particular tough task to manage, just an arduous one.

He appeared in Atem's doorway, the King of Games sitting on the window sill, looking down at the manor grounds despite not being able to see much in the darkness. Even his own light was shut off.

"It's time."

Atem looked up, his eyes flaring with determination that Kaiba could see even in the dark. It made his own nerves flare to life. The last time he'd seen a look like that, Atem had broken his soul into pieces. It was too bad he didn't have the Sennen Puzzle around anymore to do that to those kids. They certainly deserved it. But no matter, they'd get what was coming to them.

The man stood up from the window sill, no words exchanged as he moved to Kaiba with a nod. His new Duel Disk was already propped on his arm, ready to go. They both nodded to each other and left the mansion, Kaiba driving the same car he had the day this had all happened. Their destination was KaibaLand. It was far past open hours and his private property. The K.C. men had brought the kids there, to one of the Dueling Stadiums. They were both silent on the ride over, both focusing on the road ahead.

Their steps echoed off the pavement as they walked side by side, Atem having to take two steps for every one of Seto's, but so very easily keeping up. He was a little anxious to see these thugs again, but so very ready to slit their throats. He walked tall with pride, something that would never leave him, no matter what happened. He had lost, that was true. But now he was rectifying that loss. He was ready to move on. He was ready to bring them down.

The doors of the stadium all the way in the back were flung open as the two men entered. The four kids were being held by gunpoint and in handcuffs by Kaiba's men. They looked scared. Both men smirked.

"Release them." Kaiba ordered as they both drew closer.

One man stepped forward to Kaiba, handing out what appeared to be Atem's deck. The brunet nodded towards Atem who reached out to take it in his hands. He breathed a sigh of quiet relief as he flipped through his cards. Unharmed, still in pristine condition; his deck was fine. His deck was in his hands again. The Deck was shuffled first; as he slid it into the deck slot on the Duel Disk, it beeped to life, life point counter at the ready. He smiled to himself.

"It was useless anyway without the God cards!" One of the kids finally decided to speak up, though his voice was definitely not the same as it had been when they'd attacked that night. He was _scared_.

"You think so?" Atem queried, stepping forward. The kids stood their ground.

"It's just a bunch of normal pathetic cards. No one even wanted to buy it. Worthless." One of the others spat on the ground right in front of Atem, just like he had on that night.

Kaiba opened a briefcase, kicking it in their direction. "We'll see how that holds up. Two on four Duel. Use these cards, or else I think there'd be no point in dueling any of you."

Before then Atem hadn't been sure if Seto was joining in. He might have even told the man to stay out of it if Kaiba had posed the question before. But now that they were here, facing his attackers, with stakes declared, Atem would let his rival in. It was the least Kaiba deserved for what he'd been putting up with and whatever resources he'd used in the past days.

The kids fell to their knees, absolutely slobbering over the powerful cards Kaiba offered to them. Typical. So very typical. Atem and Kaiba paced back a few steps, Kaiba shuffling then sliding his deck into his own Duel Disk. They shared a glance, both smirking at each other before looking at the kids across the field. It seemed they'd beefed up their decks enough and were ready. The two superior Duelists raised their arms, the plates of their Duel Disks sliding into duel mode. The kids did the same.

"_**Duel**_!"

"I'll go first! Draw!" Atem said, drawing a hand of five, then his first card. His eyes moved over the cards, that malicious, venomous smirk creeping on his lips. "Your deck responds to you. Your dueling style comes from how you feel." He said. Those thugs had caused him great pain, and great anger. His deck was working with him in kind; maybe it hadn't liked being in their hands either. "_You'll remember this._" He hissed. Even Kaiba was watching, waiting for his opening move.

He held up his first card. "_Fusion!_ By combining my _Buster Blader _and my _Black Magician_ I can call _Super Magical Swordsman- Black Paladin_ to the field!" His two monsters were called the field, fused together by the magic of Atem's spell card. Said Magical Swordsman looked across the field, anger in his eyes as well.

Kaiba watched quietly. It was a strong opening move, to be sure. Atem would most likely place a trap card and hand his turn over-

"Now I activate the spell card _Haste!_ Allowing my fusion monster to attack on the turn it was created!"

Seto watched on curiously. Atem had just broken free of the first turn rule with such a move, allowing himself to attack first. The King of Games was on top right now, and Kaiba couldn't help but be amazed.

"_**DIRECT ATTACK!**_" Atem called, pointing to the kid on the end. Black Paladin swung his staff forward before casting a powerful magic spell across the field, knocking the thug back. The kid's life points dropped to 1,100. He stood back up weakly, ready to say something but Atem cut him off. "Oh, I'm not done yet!" He held up another spell card. "_Fusion Cancel!_" The one monster became two again. And since he'd already broken the rule about not attacking on the first turn, he was ready to go again. "_**BLACK MAGICIAN, DIRECT ATTACK!**_" Atem's absolute fury spread across the field as his faithful Magician sent the kid flying to the back of the room, no life points left.

Eliminated in the first turn. Even Kaiba had a little shock on his face. "_Buster Blader, __**DIRECT ATTACK!**_" He aimed his next attack at the next kid in line. The Swordsman rushed across the field, swinging sword down on the kid, leaving his life points at 1,400. "Turn end." He hissed. Atem had single handedly knocked out one kid and seriously damaged another all in the very first turn of battle, using all of his opening hand.

"Worthless deck?" He asked, glaring across the field. The attackers were already shaking in their shoes. "You will pay for what you did."

Kaiba's blood was rushing. Watching Atem like this took his breath away. His rival was not one to be treated lightly, and he loved that. He almost wanted to end the duel so that he could face Atem like this. The battle would be intense, he was sure of it. First things came first, though, so he'd have to wait his turn.

"My turn! Draw!" Kaiba announced, adding a card to his opening hand. He had a light flashback moment with this opening hand, but smirked it off. The last time he and Atem had worked together... Fate was a bunch of bullshit, but this was good all the same.

"Activate _White Dragon Ritual!_" Kaiba placed one of his cards in the graveyard, summoning, "_Knight of White Dragon!_ Sacrificing this card, I can call out- _**Blue Eyes White Dragon!**_" His signature monster roared to life on the field, glaring at its opponents and baring its fangs. "Set one card face down. Turn end." He announced. But on the next, he would wipe the floor with them. Atem's Buster Blader recognized an increase in attack points from 2,600 to 3,600 thanks to Kaiba's dragon in the graveyard and Blue Eyes on the field. Just for a moment, the two Duelists looked at each other, giving the other a nod. Fighting together and doing quite well. It was a moment to be remembered.

The first kid took the stand, weakly summoning a face down monster and two face down cards. Second kid up, one monster face down and only one face down card. The third kid was already shaking, having been attacked head on by Atem's rage. Unluckily for him, he had not drawn a good opening hand- two high level monsters and a bunch of spell cards. He placed four of them down, completely ruining his bluff.

"My turn! Draw!" Atem was back in control. "Set one card!" He placed the only card he'd drawn face down and then moved into Battle Phase. "_Black Magician, __**DIRECT ATTACK!**_" He aimed to take the third kid out. The Magician revved up for an attack, and when it was clear the kid was about to be knocked out, one of his friends stepped up to help.

"Activate _Hexagram Curse!_ Now I can stop your Magician's-"

"_**REVERSE CARD OPEN!**_" Atem called, his trap card opening to the field. "_Dust Tornado!_ Your trap card is destroyed!" He would have had the ability to place one of his own, but he didn't have any. Hexagram Curse disappeared, leaving the kid fully open for attack. Black Magician raised his rod over his head and then pulled it back down, sending a wave of attack to the thug, sending him flying back, no life points left.

Within three turns alone, Atem had taken out two of them. He set his eyes forward to his next target. No one else had stepped in to stop him from attacking when they could have. That either meant they were all bluffing and had no more traps to stop him, or they were saving their own asses. Atem weighed his options carefully. In the end, he decided someone was watching out for him tonight, whether it was the Gods themselves or his own vengeance creating his own luck, but he was going to win this.

"_Buster Blader, _attack his face down monster!" He called, pointing to the second to last kid. The monster ran across the field, slashing the monster in two. No trap cards were activated, so Atem had been right in his thinking. They were all bluffing. Beefing up their decks had not helped them at all, the fools. The monster Buster Blader had destroyed was a low level effect monster, allowing the kid to call a higher level monster to his hand. "Turn end." Atem handed the game back over to Kaiba.

"My turn now. Draw!"

Another amazing draw, but that was no surprise. He'd always been good at drawing the right cards. "Summon to the field, _Lord of Dragon!_" The cloaked monster moved onto the field, looking up at the Blue Eyes. "Activate, _Dragon Calling Flute!_" Kaiba raised his face down card. The flute went to the Lord's hand; he blew into it, the sound echoing throughout the stadium. "Summon to the field my two _**Blue Eyes White Dragons!**_" The last of Kaiba's magnificent monsters flew down to the field, almost as if from his hand itself, roaring in tandem with the other Blue Eyes already awaiting. Atem's Buster Blader gained another 1,000 attack points, bringing it up to 4,600 now.

"_Lord of Dragons, Blue Eyes, __**Direct Attack!**_"

And just like that, in a white, beautiful burst stream along side a slash, the kid dropped to his knees, utterly defeated. "Set one card face down. Turn end." Though he very well could have ended it right then, Kaiba knew this was Atem's battle. He would let his rival exact his revenge completely. Atem nodded a small thanks to the man for that.

Alone and scared and staring down some very powerful monsters and their masters, the kid weakly called a draw. But he smiled at his draw. "Activate face down card, _Masked Demon Beast's Ritual!_ By offering two monsters in my hand that make up a total of eight stars, I can summon to the field- _Masked Demon Beast- Masked Hellraiser!_" The monster had 700 more attack than the Black Magician, but Atem already saw that he was about to be attacked and lose his Magician. He stood, ready.

"Attack the Black Magicia-"

"_Reverse card open!"_ Kaiba called from his side of the field. Atem looked over at him, a little surprised. "_Attack Guidance Armor!_" Kaiba looked back at Atem before moving his eyes back to his opponent. "Attach to _Lord of Dragon!_"

The armor wrapped itself around Kaiba's monster, drawing the Hellraiser's attack straight for him. The Lord was destroyed, dropping Kaiba's life points to 2,000. He stood and took the attack, not flinching in the slightest. The kid was still amused, however. He'd still landed an attack after all. But with nothing more that he could do, "Turn end." Wait, he realized. ...he was doomed.

He'd never had a chance anyway as far as Atem was concerned. "My turn! Draw!"

Atem smirked, his eyes narrowing. "This is it for you. Activate _Brainwashing- Brain Control!_ Take his _Hellraiser_!" The monster was grabbed by the two hands that emerged from the hands on the spell card, placed on Atem's side of the field. He didn't want it, he didn't even look at it- he just wanted it out of the way.

"_**BLACK MAGICIAN DIRECT ATTACK!" **_He called loudly. The Magician yet again held his staff up, circling it before blasting his powerful mage attack at the thug. He was left with 1,500 life points and nowhere to run.

His hands clenched at his sides. "You got what you deserved." Atem's attacker said through clenched teeth, obviously not sorry in the slightest.

"And you will get yours." Atem hissed. "_**BUSTER BLADER, DIRECT ATTACK!"**_ With Kaiba's dragons backing its power, the attack was immense and painful. The thug fell back, nearly blinded by the weight the Buster Blader had carried behind his strike.

The Duel was over. Atem and Kaiba had brought on a powerful onslaught. Just like they always did, just like old times. Atem lowered his arm, breathing harshly, the adrenaline flowing through him. The battle wasn't quite intense, he'd completely obliterated them within the first few turns. But it was so very enjoyable. He'd loved seeing their faces when they were about to get attacked, when they were knocked back, when they lost.

A hand fell on his shoulder, broke him from his thoughts; he looked up at Kaiba. "What now?" What did Atem want him to do? Whatever it was, Kaiba wanted him to hurry up and say so so that they could get out of there. He wanted to Duel Atem right now. The urge was strong. Seeing his rival like that had him very excited.

"Direct attack," His lover said in a hushed murmur. "Hurt them. Then take their decks. Blacklist them from any and all tournaments for the rest of their lives, and the Dueling world as a whole. Make sure they never get their hands on another Duel Disk or Kaiba Corporation product ever again. Throw them in a ditch. I don't ever want to see them again."

Kaiba smirked. "Done." And he nodded over to his men. It was good that Yuugi's influence hadn't taken away what needed to be done. Killing them would have been easy, what Atem had set up for them was beautiful. A life long torture. Absolutely amazing. "Do you want to do it yourself?" Or would his men be handling the job?

Atem shook his head. "I can't stand to look at them any longer." His eyes directed upwards at Seto. "Let's go home." The word slipped from him, not even thinking about it.

Neither was Kaiba. He simply nodded. "Let's go." His hand left Atem's shoulder as they walked out of the stadium together and into the night.


	12. The Healing Process

So close. Victory was so close he could taste it. This Duel had been one of the best he and Atem had ever fought. They were still working off the absolute rush from the other Duel, but now only had each other to fight. It had gone on for quite a while. Both Kaiba and Atem never backed down for a minute, they played on the top of their games, but this one was different somehow. They were both feeling better than great, they were on top. The two best Duelists in the world with nothing to lose but time. Kaiba could barely take his eyes off his rival. This moment was amazing.

So sad that it had to come to a close, though. Kaiba had just summoned his last Blue Eyes in the last turn. Three were facing down a simple Black Magician girl. Kaiba was so, so ready for this. Even if there were no witnesses except the two men themselves, this was perfect.

"_Blue Eyes White Dragon, __**ATTACK!**_" Kaiba called loudly, pointing the way for his dragon to follow. "_**BURST STEAM OF DESTRUCTION!**_"

The dragon reared its head back, mouth filling with that signature killing attack. The Magician girl raised her staff, smiling sweetly, already quite aware of her master's will. "Not so fast, Kaiba!"

Oh no. Those words were never good.

"_Reverse card open! Magical Cylinder!_" The Cylinder appeared in the Magician's arms. The attack traveled through the tube, being redirected back towards one of Kaiba's other Blue Eyes. Recognizing an attack was upon it, the Blue Eyes reared back and shot its own Burst Stream in defense. Both attacks collided with each other, creating a hot, bright light on the field; wind blew passed them, both Duelists raising an arm to shield their vision for just a moment.

When the attack died down, two Blue Eyes had just been destroyed. Kaiba glared. "Cheap tricks, Atem." He still had on Blue Eyes left, and a Duel to win. "_Blue Eyes_-"

"_Activate Spell Card!"_ Atem called yet again, having been ready for this the entire time. "_Dimension Magic! _By tributing the _Black Magician Girl_ I can summon my _Black Magician! _And destroy your _Blue Eyes_ with its magic!" The sarcophagus held in chains appeared on the field as the Magician Girl disappeared in a bright pink light. The tomb opened, revealing his faithful Magician ready to go. The monster moved from its shackles, pulling forward to the field.

He raised his staff, casting an unusual spell wrapped in dark black magic. It moved around the dragon, destroying it.

This had been the last stretch; Atem had fallen behind in Life Points. Kaiba had been so ready. As he stared down Atem's turn, feeling the Black Magician's attack as if it were real, hearing his life point counter blipping at 0000 yet again, he breathed a quiet exhale. Lost. Again.

But the Duel had been great, at least.

When everything was said and done, the sun was already rising, early morning hitting the Kaiba Mansion in hues of pinks and violets. The two men had retreated upstairs, perhaps with the intent of a light doze, but it had ended up somewhere far different. Atem's eyes were closed, his midsection bare to Seto's eyes for the first time in a long time. The taller man couldn't help but notice the trepidation in the lines of his lover's face. It was sheer curiosity that had led his fingers to trace that scar. Atem shivered, curling up slightly, one request on his lips.

"Don't."

Don't touch it, don't look at it, don't think about it. Don't think about how weak I was, don't think about how they'd cornered me, don't think about the pain, don't think about lying there alone. Perhaps Kaiba hadn't realized how affected Atem still remained. He'd pegged the man prideful, of course, and maybe he'd thought with revenge exacted Atem had just moved on. But he knew that scars were heavy to carry. Ones on the flesh were nothing compared to ones on the psyche.

Against the pale of Atem's skin, the scar laid diagonal, marring the top line of his right hip and running up across his stomach, just over his navel.

"I should go." Even now Atem was trying to control his voice from shaking, Kaiba could hear it. He could hear the control being exerted there, the tight grip Atem was placing on himself.

The man sat up, reaching for his shirt. He wanted to cover himself up, he didn't want to have to think about it, he didn't want Seto to look at it. All Kaiba knew was that he didn't want Atem to leave. He certainly didn't want Atem to carry this burden. What could he do for his lover? He wasn't good at comforting anyone. The last thing he wanted to do was upset Atem, which was the most likely outcome. The shorter duelist had gotten up already, however, keen on leaving, on going 'home' as he'd put it.

Seto reached up, slender fingers wrapping around the top of Atem's arm. The man's initial reaction was to jerk out of the grip.

His body might have healed, but it seemed that Atem was still carrying this heavily. Worse yet, Kaiba still knew that it was his fault. He'd unwittingly damaged his rival. "You don't have to leave." He offered quietly, watching the Game King carefully.

Atem stood, back turned to Seto, body absolutely rigid, hands clenched at his sides. His head was tilted down, even if he wasn't facing Seto, even if he wouldn't have to look at the man's blue eyes- knowing Kaiba was calling him out for his weakness just with gaze alone. But he wasn't ready, and he hadn't known it until just then. Sharing a house with Seto had been nice when nothing had been expected of him. After the duel they'd come upstairs, started kissing- and he'd lost himself, in a terrible way.

At first he'd tried to ignore the feeling in the pit of his stomach, to just push it away and pretend it wasn't there. But as Kaiba's fingers wandered, he knew he wouldn't get out of it. He hadn't asked Seto to accompany him to the doctor's office. This was the first time Seto had seen the scarring. Atem had fooled himself into thinking prior that Kaiba would never have to see it. But their love was carnal more often than not. Now he wasn't so sure why he thought he could get away with Kaiba never seeing his top half ever again.

Once his shirt had come off, all he could feel were those blue, accusing eyes on the scar. Looking at it. Staring at it. Nothing about him was perfect anymore, not that it ever had been.

His arm came up to cradle over his stomach, still feeling ghost pains and burns, the sound of the blade switching out from its resting place ringing in his ears.

"You have work to get back to. I haven't been to my apartment in some time. We have things to attend to."

Those words were a death sentence and Kaiba realized it from the moment they hit the thick air in the room. If he let Atem go now, the man would drift further and further away from him. If he didn't find a way to fix this right now, Atem would slip from his fingers and there wouldn't be anything he could do about it. The realization of such a thing had him feeling a little cold inside; if Atem was one of the only things that kept him warm, that kept him slightly human anymore, what would letting him go turn him into? He didn't want to know.

He reached over again, hand wrapping around Atem's arm once more. Again he got the same violent reaction, but this time he didn't let go. Atem still struggled. "Let go!"

"Calm down." It was an order but not a forceful one.

The only thing he could think to do right then was to force himself calm. His body shook with the tense of control he exerted over it, his muscles tightening up. "Why are you-"

"Atem, you need to calm down." Seto repeated, feeling the twitch and tightness underneath his fingertips. He waited just another moment before pulling Atem back, hopefully getting him to sit.

Being pulled on was the last thing he wanted, and he immediately tried to get away. But he kept screaming in his mind to let this go, not to show this side of his struggle to Kaiba. Eventually he did sit. "You-"

Once more Kaiba cut him off, his hand leaving Atem's arm and moving to his jaw. His fingers tilted that crimson gaze to his own. "I've shared the scars I carry." Less figurative ones Atem pried out of him over the years, but the scars he carried on his back from a harsh childhood Atem had seen more times than Kaiba cared to count. "What is your reaction to them?"

His expression was confused. "Think of them? I... they make you, you. I don't like that you have them. But it's not like it changes my opinion of you." He'd walked right into it. Probably purposefully, as if he needed to hear these things.

"I should have known better than to touch it. But it doesn't bother me. It doesn't make you any less of a person." Kaiba was choosing each word carefully, as if flipping through a dictionary in his mind and forming sentences on paper before offering them to the morning air. He couldn't let himself fuck this one up. He knew that if he did, it would probably be the last time he ever saw his rival as his lover at the same time. His fingers brushed some stray blonde bangs away from Atem's face. "You can't force healing, but they've been dealt with. Don't let them be the winners in the end. I know that you're better than that." He was slightly anxious saying this, but in the end he felt it was what needed to be said.

Atem wasn't sure about any of this. What he did know, however, was how hard it was for Seto to do this. And the brunet was doing it for him. He paused, just breathing calmly, muscles relaxed now as he soaked up Kaiba's sentiment and the reasoning behind it. The burn of the scar was still there. Seto was right. He couldn't force himself better, he couldn't force himself to forget about it. But slowly, with careful steps, he would heal.

He smiled, moving on the bed to slip into Seto's lap, wrapping his arms around the CEO's neck. "Thank you." The words were whispered before he leaned, his lips pressing against Seto's own. The brunet's hands went to his hips, resting happily there as they indulged in one rare moment of sweetness. The kiss moved from chaste almost seamlessly as Atem tilted his head, lips parting, tongue brushing against Kaiba's. A soft moan escaped him as he hugged tighter. The same blanket of comfort, love, and safety that had been proposed the moment Seto had started taking care of him wrapped around him yet again.

Kaiba was quite happy to indulge in the moment. He broke from the kiss, arm coming up to circle around Atem's midback. The shorter duelist leaned into it almost instinctively, and harsher so when Kaiba's lips found his neck. His breath halted as Seto worked the skin atop his pulse with his teeth, marking him. The bruise was a standing testament to what was his- Kaiba owned Atem. Atem was **his**. This body was his. He wouldn't let it be marked by others ever again. It was his to mark and to do with as he pleased. He'd make sure Atem never forgot that again.

The shorter man's shirt was discarded, once again baring his skin to see. Kaiba didn't let him have a spare moment to feel anxious about it. With one arm around Atem's shoulders, his hand went to cover his lover's abdomen, completely covering the scar. His kisses and nips dropped to Atem's shoulder, then his collarbone. Seto was doing a good job of keeping Atem's mind off the situation, the only thing he could manage to do was to writhe underneath Seto's lips, tongue and teeth, groans and half finished breaths filling the air around them. His face was already flushed, body glowing in quite a similar way.

Seto continued on this way, only stopping once when Atem's hips moved up into his, creating sparks and a low growl from him. "Want it that bad?" His voice was dark with lust.

"_Yes_." Atem's own reply was breathless and not shy of the truth. Yes. Yes he did want Seto bad. He needed him.

Kaiba smirked, very amused with that answer. It stroked his own ego. "Of course you do."

He switched positions, lying Atem back down against the bed. Those pesky belts were removed in nimble succession. The leather pants were next, as usual, having nothing but bare flesh underneath them. Lidded crimson eyes looked up when Seto paused. He realized then that Kaiba was staring at him again. That bubble of anxiety and hurt swelled inside him, and he almost felt like canceling this try yet again.

Seto leaned over him, his hands trailing up Atem's thighs, up his hips, over the his sides, up his arms and to his wrists. He stared down at his lover, no words passed between them except what they were saying in their stare. They grew quiet just for a moment, but Kaiba was aiming for surprise as his hand left Atem's wrist, fingers wrapping around his lover's cock. His pumps were slow and steady, just watching the man beneath him with great interest.

Atem's eyes had widened before they'd rolled back, hips shifting upwards into that hand. He was breathless and needy as he continued to give in to everything Seto was gifting him with. "Please..."

There it was. Kaiba grinned to himself. Always with that word. It never failed to show up in each one of these sessions. "Please what?" He whispered as he leaned closer into Atem, right into the Game King's ear.

It caused a shiver, his hips thrusting upward a little harder. "Make me yours again."

The request had not been without its painful undertone, Atem's eyes shutting tightly, feeling he well of tears behind them. Kaiba's own eyes had opened a little more, gazing down at his lover. _Again?_ No, he didn't like that. The bedside table was opened, a bottle of lube grabbed, the cap twisted before Kaiba poured it over his fingers.

"Don't be a fool. You were always mine. That never changed it and nothing ever will." He growled this out, but meant it more than anything he'd ever said before.

One finger was pressed inside Atem slowly, the man's breath stolen from him as he spread his legs wider. His hips pushed downwards every time Seto pushed back in, drawing him deeper. He couldn't think anymore. All he was aware of was the man lying over him, inside of him, claiming him. It was all he cared to know at this point.

Kaiba was watching Atem carefully. He added another finger, steeling a shudder when Atem moaned loudly. Just watching his lover was almost too much for him to take without having any action performed on himself. His eyes were captivated and darkened by the sight underneath him. After a few more moments a third finger was added, Atem's hips shifting again. He almost couldn't hold out. It had been far too long since they'd done this, and now he had the weight of something to prove this time.

His fingers withdrew, Atem's husky groan of displeasure earning an eye roll from Seto. His own clothes were discarded carelessly to the floor as he moved atop Atem again. He was slightly surprised when Atem reached forward, fingers wrapping around his cock. A quiet breath left him, his teeth clenching together to keep himself from reacting too strongly. "Always yours?" The shorter man asked, drizzling the lube along Seto's length as his fingers smoothed it in.

Kaiba's hand grabbed Atem's wrist, though not overly hard. "Always." He growled, his fingers moving to Atem's hips.

With one swift thrust he hit home, Atem's cry loud, hips moving upwards against him. It wasn't one of pain, Seto was quite sure of that. He pulled out slowly then slammed back in, trying to make his mark as deep as he could. Atem seemed to be receiving it very well at that, head thrashing from side to side, his arms reaching up to wrap around Seto's neck and bring him close. Kaiba found a steady and harsh rhythm in and out of his lover's body. Each strike was powerful, but somehow carried a whisper of careful love behind it.

"You can't escape that." Seto murmured, trying to reign himself back, his breathing hard to manage at this point.

"I..." Atem couldn't think much about it. Further more, he couldn't deny it, either. He was sure he'd never felt as complete as he had in this moment.

The shorter man's body tensed a few minutes after that, not being able to handle it anymore. But he tried to still himself, not wanting it to end. Kaiba smirked down at him, recognizing all the signs of his lover's end approaching. He nipped Atem's ear on another thrust inward. "Don't hold back. There will be plenty of more times." Always was a long time. He'd make sure Atem understood that.

"_Seto!_" His voice raised in pitch due to his breathlessness. Kaiba had really just commanded him to come and he'd done it. There might have been a burning shame somewhere inside him, but all he could feel right now was the sweet release Seto had allowed him, pleasure jolting through his body.

Seto's own release was just as heavy, though he held himself back from crying or screaming, as usual. He bit down into his lover's shoulder, moving deep inside him one last time as he came; while Atem's name wasn't on his lips, it was the fog that surrounded his brain.

The two laid beside each other as the moment faded away, their breathing quieting down, bodies cooling. Seto's arm draped lightly over Atem's body, holding him, not allowing him to leave. It wasn't that the shorter of the two was exactly trying to escape, but it just felt necessary. Atem didn't mind, either, finding the half-embrace comforting while he was coming down from his high. Moving closer, he just rested in the brunet's embrace, calmly enjoying what was left of their sexual endeavor.

The pain of his scar had left him completely. In fact, he'd forgotten all about it just then. The only thing that was clear to him was that Seto was there; Seto's own marks on him he was quite lucidly able to recall right then. It made him smile. Nothing else mattered right then. The past, the present, the future. All he cared about was Seto, with him, lightly holding him, having marked him. It was the only important thing. It was a thought that eased his mind, made sleep come a little easier, a little quicker than usual.

Seto was quick behind, smug thoughts of having helped Atem aiding his own rest. Maybe he wasn't so bad at this after all.


End file.
